Today's Topic: Insulation

Insulation is an incredibly important factor in increasing a home's energy efficiency. Quality insulation keeps the heat inside during the winter and keeps it out during the summer, thus minimizing the energy needed for heating and cooling.

At the Sumer Residence, blown-in cellulose is currently being installed in the walls. It is primarily made of recycled materials, consisting of around 85% cardboard and paper, which far exceeds the required 20% recycled material to be listed as an Environmentally Preferable Product under LEED standards. Quality insulation also reduces noise pollution – a necessary feature of a home walking distance from the railroad. The cellulose is blown-in slightly damp into the walls around pipes and electrical lines, so that it surrounds and insulates components much more effectively than batt insulation would. Then it is sheared so the cellulose is flush with the studs, it dries, then drywall is placed over it to create the wall.

Insulation lies flush with studs and seams between windows and walls are caulked for increased insulation

Doug Williams, HERS Rater, inspects insulation installation and discusses with Construction Manager Alan Lafin

Introduction to the Sumer Residence

Welcome to the project blog for the Sumer Residence located on E. Cliff Street in Solana Beach, CA! The goal of this site is to monitor overall construction progress and to highlight the LEED methods taken into consideration when building this project. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a rigorous green building certification system hosted through the U.S. Green Building Council. It consists of 18 prerequisites and 134 possible credits to achieve in order to gain various levels of certification, they cover the entire spectrum of the construction process from material sourcing to waste diversion to framing methods to site sustainability. You can read more about the prerequisites and credits in the "What Does LEED Measure?" tab at the top of the blog.

Mr. and Mrs. Sumer chose LEED because they want to build as environmentally-conscious as possible and the LEED rating system helps verify that every aspect of construction takes into account its environmental impact. Building LEED is a process that starts in the design phase with all main subcontractors such as plumbing, HVAC, landscaping, etc, as well as the LEED Team such as the Green Rater and LEED Consultant. These members, along with the homeowner and general contractor, create the Integrated Project Team. Integrated design from the get-go provides a strong foundation for sustainability goals to be met in an efficient, cost-effective, and successful manner.

We are looking forward to sharing the Sumer Residence's journey to LEED Certification with you! Renderings and progress photos are soon to come.